Republican States of Rove
The Republican States of Rove (RSR) is a constitutional republic comprising 32 systems in the Beta Quadrant of the Milky Way. Home to a population of 27.9 billion inhabitants, the nation is staunchly conservative and highly suspicious of non-human political entities. Astrography Republican Sovereignty Currently, the Republican States of Rove control 32 star systems in the Beta Quadrant of the Milky Way. Core The Core refers to the innermost systems of the Republican States. These are the Azrael System Heartland The Heartland comprises the 12 star systems between the Core and the Beltway. The Gulf The Gulf, officially the Gulf of Trujillo, refers to the 14 star systems bordering the Heartland, Fringe, Beltway, and the Preserve. The Fringe The Fringe comprises the 6 systems that make up the border of the Republican States. This area has the lowest population of any territorial classification in the Republican States and is considered a hotbed for anarchy and lawlessness. What little legitimate economic activity that takes place focuses on the lucrative cash crop industry, with widespread use of xenoslavery, as well as in resource extraction, although businessmen tend to avoid the more remote parts of the sector, given the high presence of terrorist and criminal-oriented elements of society. The Beltway The Preserve Wildlands Neopotamian Territories The Neopotamia Territories, presently under the leadership of th Petraeus Disraeli Gates Client States Politics Defining Issues Though the Republican States can be best classified as an authoritarian right government, there is a healthy democracy that values a strong opposition party. Empire of Liberty Though the Republican States follows the Lieberman Doctrine in its foreign policy affairs, the exact interpretation of the phrase "Empire of Liberty" has caused dispute within the halls of the Senate. There are those who interpret the phrase by its literal meaning and posit that all free nations must be united under the banner of the Republican States. This is not merely a power grab, but rather designed to protect the underlying unity of humanity. If every free human nation were given a seat in the Senate, then humanity would stand united in defense of human supremacy. Meanwhile, there are those who interpret the term as a figurative saying. They believe in the same doctrine of waging war in other systems against unfree nations to convert them to free nations, but they express skepticism at allowing them into the Senate. Rather than bring them into the fold of the Republic, they argue that these new nations should be included in an alliance structure. The defenders of this view argue that a literal Empire of Liberty would undermine the goal of spreading liberty and needlessly turn potential partners away from the Republican States in foreign policy disputes. Species Relations Species relations are a major issue in the Republican States. Today, with nearly one-in-four residents of the Republican States being non-human (the majority of which are enslaved), but given no vote, there is strong enmity between humans and non-humans. Non-humans commit crime at higher rates, aid terrorist movements, and pose a general threat to the continued supremacy of humanity in the galaxy. Xenoslavery Xenoslavery has become a more contentious issue as the history of the Republican States has dragged on. Today, xenoslavery is legal in the Gulf, the Beltway, and the Fringe, approximately 36% of the Republican States' territory. Xenoslavery has been offered as a cheaper alternative to automation and its widespread adoption has appealed to bioconservatives that are strongly opposed to transhumanism and a heavy reliance on automated technoogy. However, security concerns have caused an anti-xenoslavery movement to spread like wildfire in the Core and Heartland, 37% of the Republican States' territory. To anti-xenoslavery advocates, the increased spread of xenoslavery risks xenoslave revolts and a potential full on Species War. Reservations On top of the issue of xenoslavery, the question of what rights should be delegated to Xenos is a point of major dispute within the Republican States. All factions agree that Xenos shall never be equal to humanity, but that leaves plenty of space for discussion. Today, Xenos make up 23% of the Republican States population, but Free Xenos are only 3%. All registered free Xenos live in either the Preserve or the Wildlands, 8 systems (total) set aside for Xenos tribes. However, there has been significant debate over whether these reservations should continue to stand. Some believe that the reservations should be disbanded and the Xenos simply be exterminated through organized xenocide. Though the tactic seems cruel, the constant aid given to left-wing terrorists by Xenos populations has turned most Roveans against them. On top of these security concerns, the Preserve and Wildlands are among the most resource rich areas in the Republican States. Opening them up would generate trillions of Friedman for the people of the Republican States. Two Party System The Republican States has a thriving two party system between the Republican Home and Conservative Alliance parties. Republican Home The Economy Republican Home takes a market-based New Keynesian approach to the economy. Favoring fiscal stimulus in the form of boosted defense and infrastructure spending, lower taxes, and tax rebates during recessions. Species Relations The Republican Home views the expansion of xenoslavery as harmful to the security interests of the Republic. The Republican Home favors the opening up of the Preserve and the Wildlands, but believes that xenoslavery must not be allowed in these territories despite their bounty of natural resources. The Xenos within the Preserve and the Wildlands are considered as sapient as humans and enslavement could lead to potentially serious consequences in the future. Interstellar Relations The Republican Home advocates a literal interpretation of the "Empire of Liberty" phrase and favors the expansion of Republican States borders. In their view, the acquisition of land and the destruction of inferior species is the only path for the Republican States to be truly prepared for encountering a superior civilization. Conservative Alliance The Economy The Conservative Alliance favors a market monetarist approach to the economy. They believe that the fiscal stimulus policies of the Republicans are reckless and have little economic benefit and are mostly "feel good" measures. The Conservative Alliance proposes monetary stimulus through the Executive Monetary Authority, the nation's central bank, as an answer to economic crises. Species Relations The Conservative Alliance favors the increased use of xenoslavery and believes that security concerns are overblown by self-interested tech merchants. To combat the potential threat of Xenos within Republican States' borders, the Conservative Alliance proposes raising the budget of the Alien Hunters organization, a branch of law enforcement dealing with hunting down rogue Xenos. They favor the opening up of the Wildlands and the Preserve, but also favor the enslavement of the populations inside.